Officially from today, Saturday June 13, the young participants who are accommodated in the installations of Ancient Olympia for the 49th International Session, whose works will be completed on the 24th of June, are dealing with the ancient and the contemporary history of the Olympic Movement and the history of the International Olympic Academy.
“The Academy’s annual Session welcomes each year young people from different countries, with different languages, mentalities, customs and mores who all share, however,  a common bond:  Olympism, with its values and symbolisms. And this is, as a rule, the main theme of the Session for Young Participants” the President of the IOA, Mr Isidoros Kouvelos underlined , providing the general idea of the 49th International Session for Young Participants.
“The Olympic Games as a celebration: Evaluation of the Olympic Games of Beijing and the Course towards the Olympic Games of Vancouver” is the special theme of the 49th International Session, which will not be restricted only to the strictly athletic part of the games.
“It will make a step further and set a challenge as it attends to identify through the Olympic Games the aspect of celebration. It expects from the participants to express their concerns on the real dimensions that such an event should have” the IOA President underlines and concludes:
“This year’s session is yet another challenge because of the previous organization of the Games in Beijing in 2008 and the question is: Have the Olympic Games changed China or has China changed the Olympic Games?”
Today’s (Saturday June 13) opening  ceremony  of the IOA’s 49th International Session for Young Participants will take place in the main lecture hall “D. Vikelas” of the Conference Hall in Ancient Olympia. The ceremony will include addresses by the IOA President, Mr Isidoros KOUVELOS, the Prefect of the Province of Elis, Mr Charalambos KAFYRAS, and the Mayor of Ancient Olymia, Mr Georgios AIDONIS. Finally, officials and guests will be presented and wreaths will be laid at the stele of Pierre de COUBERTIN, renovator of the Modern Olympic Games and at the commemorative monument of John KETSEAS and Carl DIEM, pioneers of the International Olympic Academy.
On Sunday, June 14, the first cycle of subjects of the Session opens with lectures by the President of the National Olympic Academy of Spain, Mr Conrado DURÁNTEZ and by the Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Languages of the University of Missouri, the American Professor Susan BROWNELL.
 
The opening of the Session at the hill of Pnyx

«I declare the opening of the 49th International Session of the International Olympic Academy for Young Participants». In these words, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Karolos PAPOULIAS, on Thursday June 11, declared the opening of the annual main event of the Academy that was honored by his presence in a special ceremony at the seething hill of Pnyx.
IOA’s President, Mr Isidoros KOUVELOS, welcomed from the rostrum all the Young Participants of the 49th International Session, the members of the Greek political and sports leadership, the members of the academic community and the friends of the Academy who attended the special ceremony in Pnyx and, overwhelmed, he underlined to the audience:
“I will not hide from you that I feel deeply moved as I stand on this rostrum from which distinguished members of the International Olympic Academy and the Olympic Movement have spoken in the past like Nicolaos Nissiotis, Epameinondas Petralias and Nikos Filaretos who have left their mark on this institution that I have the honour of heading today.”
Honorary prizes were awarded to the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare of the Hellenic Republic, Ms Fanny PALLI-PETRALIA, to the former Prime Minister of Tunisia and IOC Member, Mr Mohamed MZALI, to the Treasurer of the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games, Mr Kikis LAZARIDES, to the President of the Spanish Olympic Academy  and member of the IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, Mr Conrado DURANDEZ, and finally to the Moroccan Gold Medalist and IOC Member, Ms Nawal EL MOUTAWAKEL. 
Among many other distinguished personalities from the greek and the international athletic movement the special ceremony at the hill of Pnyx also attended the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Dora BAKOYANNIS, the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Ms Fanny PALLI-PETRALIA and the Deputy Minister of Culture, responsible for  sport  issues, Mr Yannis IOANNIDIS.